


set my heart aflame (every part aflame)

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, Marriage, One-Sided Attraction, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 13:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7978702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd have been convinced that there was no way in hell that he'd like his sworn rival in any way ever.</p>
<p>Guess the joke was on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	set my heart aflame (every part aflame)

**Author's Note:**

> this is what happens when I listen to hamilton songs: I get inspired and write angst  
> it's p easy to tell which one inspired this but just in case- satisfied   
> Enjoy!

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Keith had looked stunning walking down the aisle, arms linked with Shiro. He'd happily agreed to be the honorary father/brother figure, dressed up in a clean pure white tuxedo with a vibrant purple flower tucked into the pocket.

Keith himself had his hair in a small braid, something Lance didn't know he needed to see until the moment he saw it. Keith had been, and still was, wearing a dark red vest over a crisp white dress shirt. His long dark gray pinstripe pants complimented his legs pretty damn well. His violet eyes were shining as he looked to the white altar and the man waiting for him with a shy look. Like he couldn't really believe it was actually happening. Like he'd waited years for this moment, years spent fighting aliens with an improvised team of universe defenders who piloted giant robot lions. Which, yeah, he had done. But Lance was getting off topic.

His point was- Hunk was a truly lucky man.

Oh, right. Lance forgot to mention- he wasn't actually the one marrying Keith. Though a part of him wished he was. But he ignored that part at the time. This was Hunk and Keith's big day; they didn't need Lance being selfish and ruining it. 

Now, sitting at the reception's bar and watching Keith laugh with a bit of cake frosting on his lip that Hunk was more than happy to kiss off, Lance couldn't help but think about it. Couldn't help but reflect on the past years that led him to this point with a bittersweet feeling gnawing at him.

-

The two of them had certainly bonded over their Paladin years. If anyone had told Lance before then that he and Keith would grow to be close friends, he'd have laughed in their face and called them a liar. He'd have been convinced that there was no way in hell that he'd like his sworn rival in any way ever.

Guess the joke was on him.

Not only did he grow to like Keith, he'd grown to have a stupid little crush that was easily ignored at first. He thought that if he pushed it away enough, it would eventually go away. Things would go back to normal between the two of them.

Christ, was he wrong. No matter what anyone else might say, he has never been more wrong about anything in his entire life.

Not only did the crush stubbornly refuse to go away, it quickly grew until he couldn't ignore it anymore. It grew to become a giant, fully enveloping him eventually. He couldn't ignore it. He couldn't ignore the tight feeling in his chest whenever he saw Keith's rare smile. He couldn't ignore how it felt like Keith's eyes lingered on him for a couple seconds too long. It made him hyperaware of everything he'd never focused on before- Keith's smile, his laugh, the way his deep eyes shone after a hard earned victory. Those were just a few things on the list. But remembering all of them right now would only make him hurt worse.

But he only realized what was happening between Keith and Hunk from Hunk himself. Which wasn't really a big surprise- they'd known each other since they were little kids, horsing off in Hunk's backyard and Lance's treehouse. He knew Hunk as well as he knew his own mind, and maybe that had been part of his dilemma.

Despite what some people at the Garrison joked, Lance wasn't stupid. He knew how to read people, knew the subtle signs of a growing crush. The shy side-eyes when no one is supposedly looking, the sudden flush that's quickly hidden at a compliment, the way the two just gravitated toward each other all the time. At the dinner table, on the training deck, even in the middle of a battle.

It didn't take him long to read the obvious signs.

And yet, they didn't make him want Keith any less.

-

One day, Hunk had finally talked to him about it.

The two of them had been lying around in Lance's room on one of their rare lazy days. Being Defenders of the Universe didn't leave much for down time. But they'd done a lot the day before, so Allura thankfully agreed they deserved a day off before jumping back into the fray.

Their conversation had mainly been reminiscing about the good old days back on Earth. Like the time the two of them decided to try and make breakfast for their moms on Mother's Day. Hunk's mothers had rushed down the stairs as the smoke alarm blared through the house.

Lance had tried making them pancakes. Hunk had laughed at the memory, mentioning how Lance had looked covered in flour when he'd tried to reach it. It had ended up spilling all over him and a bit on the floor.

And then he'd gone quiet. He remembered the hesitant and contemplative look Hunk had. Then he finally spoke.

"Bro," Hunk said. "Can I tell you something?"

He still remembers how a part of him hoped that it wasn't what he thought it was going to be. He'd felt ashamed of that part.

Somehow he kept himself casual. "Of course," he said. "What is it?"

"I think I like Keith," Hunk had told him quickly, like he might not hear it if he said it fast enough. "And... not really as a friend? I mean, yeah, I liked him as a friend before, but-" he laid back, covering his face with his hands. "I don't anymore. I wouldn't really call it love, but it's kinda... close." He peeked through his fingers to look at Lance's face. "Does that sound dumb?"

"Of course not!" Lance immediately told him. For a moment, he considered saying his own feelings about Keith. The words were on the tip of his tongue.

That was the moment three very fundamental truths hit him like a speeding train.

Number one- Hunk was such a wonderful guy. A literal human ray of sunshine.

Keith was the dark and broody loner. If anyone fit that description to the letter, it was him. He needed someone to lighten him up a little, make him smile and laugh more often. Someone nice and understanding.

And Lance has never known anyone nearly as trusting or as kind as Hunk.

Number two- Hunk and Keith had already seemed happy together by that point. Lance didn't want to ruin that just for the sake of his feelings. He'd known even back then the two of them would have a loving, supportive relationship. That's what both of them deserved.

And most importantly number three- he'd known what would happen if he said those words. Hunk would be resigned, pushing aside his own happiness for Lance's. He'd be the ever-supportive wingman who'd probably be a big help in getting them together. Lance would have a shot at Keith.

But he knows Hunk. The guy had (still has) a gigantic heart. A heart the size of a planet, with plenty of love to share. If he knew how Lance felt, he'd step back. But no matter how much he would insist he was fine, Lance knew he'd be lying.

At least Lance was a better actor.

-

He remembers the day that they beat the Galra Empire once and for all with absolute clarity. He still saw it in his dreams most nights, when he could actually sleep in the first place.

He'd been stranded on the nearby planet's surface with his busted comm and Keith for a day or so. They'd been hiding out in an abandoned building, the town long since evacuated before the Galra started firing on it. The others had been lucky enough to get to their lions, but the two of them hadn't been as lucky. He'd pulled Keith back just before a two story building was going to crumble on him.

It crushed Keith's helmet, but he was okay. That was all that mattered.

The Galra fired upon the planet mercilessly, lasers falling from the sky like extremely deadly purple raindrops. At the time, rushing into one of the buildings seemed like a good idea. It was better than hoping for the best and taking their chances outside.

But neither of them had thought about the risks until the roof started to cave. They barely had a couple seconds to act- not enough time to run out safely.

For a moment, Lance thought he was actually going to die there.

Luckily for the both of them, Keith had a split second plan. It was a stupid, very risky plan. But it still had been a plan. He'd forced Lance onto his knees, activating his shield over the both of them just as the first chunk of ceiling broke free.

Thankfully, the shield held. It held strong enough to withstand the entire ceiling caving in around them, making a small cramped alcove for them in the rubble. Then the shield finally fizzled out. He'd felt the walls push on them, threatening to crush them like they were red and blue bugs.

Until Keith put his back to one wall and his arms holding the other wall. He couldn't move it back, but he sure as hell could hold it in place.

Lance's heart beat like a drumroll when he looked up at Keith. His hair had been messy as fuck, strands of it hanging in a face slicked with dirt and sweat and small blemishes he never noticed before, eyes holding a flame of piercing determination. He'd probably looked like an idiot, staring up at Keith like he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Which was pretty true. Not because Keith took much care in his hygiene (that definitely needed work to be honest), but because of what he had risked.

He'd taken the huge chance of being crushed for the both of them. It was really stupid, but also incredibly hot.

One thing he'd learned about Keith stuck out at that moment- Keith wasn't perfect. Not even close. He was messy and greasy most of the time, but that was part of his strange charm. He was rough around the edges. Impulsive and stubborn sometimes. He wasn't the stuck up star Lance thought he was back at the Garrison.

Keith was human. Simple as that.

"Lance," he'd said, arms slightly shaking. "Do you ever regret anything?"

He regretted many things. Like anyone with life experiences should. "Yeah," he'd nodded, hitting his head on the rubble. "Everyone regrets something." He'd been quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "What about you? What do you regret?"

Keith visibly thought the question over, straining under the weight. Lance had wanted to stand up and help, but it was barely big enough for their positions at that moment. If he got up, he'd have to be pressed up against Keith. That was something he both did and did not want.

"A while ago," Keith finally spoke up. "Hunk told me he loved me. And I didn't say it back. I haven't yet." He'd cracked a weak smile. "He keeps telling me that's alright, wants me to take my time." That certainly sounded like Hunk. "And I do love him. I love him so much, but I'm so fucking scared to say it." Tears welled up in Keith's eyes. "And I know, I'm rambling like a dumbass, but I haven't told anyone this. Haven't had the chance to these past few weeks. But I regret not saying it now. I don't want to lose him, and I don't wanna die without telling him that."

Keith sniffed, wiping the runaway tears away and smudging more dirt on his face. "Sorry," he said. "That was a lot of shit you didn't need to hear."

"No no," Lance had told him quickly. "You needed to get that off your chest. I get that, man. I'm sure the others will find us soon."

Keith pursed his lips in consideration. "What do you regret?"

A lot of things popped into his head immediately. The time he drove away a girl he knew his sister loved, the time he watched Keith storm off with angry tears in his eyes and didn't go after him, the time he accidentally stepped on his dog's paw and broke it. The list went on.

"A lotta things." He'd said softly, looking up at Keith. They left it like that.

Eventually the others did find them, the lions quickly digging them out of the rubble. Within long and painful hours, it was over. They were all variably battered and bruised, but they had won. The three year nightmare was over. Earth was safe.

The lions set down on the planet surface gently, letting their ecstatic pilots out among the rubble. Unsurprisingly, Keith and Hunk set out for each other first. Hunk had scooped his boyfriend up giddily, and Keith went in for the trademark 'holy-shit-I-can't-believe-we're-actually-alive' kiss. He hadn't heard it, but he could tell from how Keith's mouth moved that he finally said it before going for another kiss.

-

So there Lance was, the best man at his best friend and his crush's wedding. He's never seen either of them happier, and that was enough for him.

He got up from the bar. There was no point in moping right now. This was a happy occasion. Grabbing a half-full wine glass and a fork, he hit the metal to the glass in a series of attention getting tings. It was a relatively small reception, so it didn't take him long to have everyone's attention. "Everyone," he called out with a (practiced) award-winning smile. "I'd like to have a toast."

He raised his glass in the air and looked over to the table where Keith and Hunk sat. "To my best friend- sorry Pidge- and my not-really rival," Keith smiled at him, tucking a bit of stray hair behind his ear. That was enough for Lance. "May you both always be satisfied."

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: squishy--squish


End file.
